Tile Roofs

Tile Roofs for Central Florida

Considering Tiles for Your New Roof?

Tile roofing is a common solution to keeping rain out of your home or business. Tiles of clay, stone, and wood have been used for centuries. Today, they are still preferred by property owners throughout the state for their striking appearance and durability during Florida storms and temperature changes.

What Kinds of Tile Roofing Are Available?

Although traditional materials are still available, stones like slate are very heavy and expensive, while even treated wooden tiles represent fire risks. Historic options such as clay are somewhat lighter and now often treated with finishes that provide better weatherproofing.

Materials such as concrete and plastic are now more commonly used for new roof tiles for homes and commercial buildings. Both are longer-lasting than shingles and provide a wide range of options.

Style Choices

Most new modern tile products come in a variety of standard or custom colors. If you are doing a new commercial roof, you can opt for a unique, eye-catching color scheme for your business. Roof tiles also come in a range of shapes, sizes, and textures, and profiles:

Flat Tiles: They are simpler to install and generally lighter and less expensive than decorative profiles.

Roman or Pantile: These have an “S” look when seen end-on, with convex at one end and concave at the other, allowing them to interlock for better protection and stability.

Regula or Imbrex: These are patterns of alternating curved and flat tiles. It’s distinctive while producing vertical channels for efficient water drainage.

Barrel Tiles or Mission: These are semi-cylindrical roof tiles that are laid out alternatively with the concave or convex side facing up. They create a “ridged” look.

Interlocking: This type of tile has interlocking sides using raised edges rather than overlapping curves.

How Are Roofing Tiles Installed?

Like shingles, they are arranged across the roof in parallel, overlapping rows across a waterproof underpayment.

New tiles may also have to be cut to size to fit snugly around vents or skylights. Gaps are usually filled and smoothed with mortar of an identical color.

The tiles are held in place with nails or screws. Depending on local building codes, the weight of the tiles, and the pitch of your roof, in some cases only the base row has to be screwed down, and higher rows may be joined to each other with cement or adhesives. There are also curved tiles that are thinner at one end to overlap along ridges.

Benefits of a New Tile Roof

Installing tiles is usually more expensive than shingles. They can also crack due to falling branches or people walking carelessly across the roof. However, tile roofs do offer some clear advantages:

Durability: Tile provides a longer-lasting roof that’s also more wind-resistant when hurricane season comes.

Insulation: Most tiles provide better insulation than shingles, helping to keep interiors cooler in summer and warmer in winter. This helps you save on electric bills.

Fit Any Structure: You can find tile to suit any architectural type, whether it’s historic Colonial, contemporary, Spanish, Dutch, or many others.

Keep Their Appearance: Tiles are far less likely to experience color fading. Some products have a 50-year guarantee of color quality.

Maintenance: Some tiles roofs last 100 years or more. The only maintenance that’s required is likely to be replacement of the occasional broken tile or cracked mortar.

Safety: Heavy, durable tiles are far less likely to become projectiles in severe storms, and with a few exceptions, are highly fire-resistant.

Economical: Though they tend to be more expensive than shingles, with a longer life and less maintenance, a tile roof can save you money long-term on repairs or even improve the value of your property.

If you have or are considering a tile roof, be sure to contact XLR8 Roofing & Construction, LLC with any questions. We’ll provide a team of certified experts for installation and repair of your tile roof. Call 833-GET-XLR8 for a free roofing quote.